Amor Fati or Agápi  Ti s Moíras
by Miette in the Rain
Summary: Sometimes, we must love or at least accept our fate, especially when we live our lives in a world where great and powerful beings are part of our daily existence, not simply an abstract thought.  That's what these young heroes in attempt are learning...
1. So it begins

**A/N Hello and welcome to the latest collection of words to escape from my mind! This focuses on OCs, but cannon characters and my oc Bia (from Daughter of Vesta) will be putting in key and frequent appearances.**

**I value questions, comments, and opinions so please, feel free to take a moment to let me know anything that crossed your mind in regards to this. In particular, I would like opinions on if this beginning chap is a bit too confusing. Intentionally, I'm sort of throwing you right into some of the action of the story, but being as I have a great deal more information about what is and will be going on I'm concerned I may have missed bits that are difficult to follow.**

**Thank you much for taking the time to check this out!**  
><strong>Miette<strong>

**PS-for those of you reading VESTA, the next chap is nearly ready for you! M**

****Disclaimer PJO plots, references and characters are the intellect property of Rick Riordan****

***-*-*Published 6-22-11 Slight edits made 8-4-11*-*-*  
><strong>

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><p>Pearl knew this was a bad plan even as it formed in her mind and she followed through with it, but really? What were her options? Let her big brother and his, well <em>their,<em> friends go through with a quest the goal of which really should have been half her responsibility anyway? No, not an option. Which was why, of course, she'd followed them. Even if this was a quest, that even more so than usual, they were not expected to return from, she couldn't _not_ follow. Up until this moment, however, she'd only had one regret, allowing LB and Neal to follow with her. She'd done that because she knew she couldn't stop them, so why waste precious time and energy arguing with them? It was better to travel together, anyway, than have them following her while she followed Charlie, Ness, and Grant. Now, however, separated, confused, exhausted and surrounded by enemies in the dark, she was having a few more regrets.

"Oh, the shiny, precious, little Pearl looks a bit smudged."

Pearl strained against the Gegenees that held her tightly. "Come over here yourself and see how smudged I am." She spat toward the voice, the owner of which was still standing back in the shadows of the trees.

"Oh, no," the voice laughed, "I'm rather enjoying watching you struggle."

"Ass," the single word came out more quiet and breathless than Pearl would have liked, but she supposed that is to be expected when one is struggling, two feet off the ground in the vice-like bear hug of a six armed giant. She'd already been worse for wear before she was grabbed, now she could feel her strength fading along with her consciousness as the pain became too much and she lost blood.

The man, boy really at the age of 16, she directed her venom toward finally stepped out of the trees and into the moon lit clearing with a chuckle. He reached up and caressed the girl's cheek roughly.

Pearl turned her head in an attempt to bite his fingers, earning another laugh, this one accompanied by a sharp slap to her face.

"We will stop you, Jonathan," She snarled.

"We? Darling, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but I really don't think you're in any position to be making threats." He gripped her chin roughly, using it to force her head left then right, "and I don't see your friends anywhere to stage a rescue, do you?"

Pearl's only response was to spit in Jonathan's face, causing him to tighten his grip on her chin till she couldn't hold in her gasp.

"Let her go," Jonathan ordered the giant through gritted teeth.

Pearl tried to muffle her gasp as she fell hard to the solid ground below her at the sudden absence of the giant's arms. She knelt, leaning over, trying to catch her breath. The girl almost wished she were still in the grip of the Gegenees, at least then she wouldn't have to try to force her uncooperative legs to hold her.

"Get up," Jonathan accompanied his words with a kick to her undefended side, leaving her even more breathless, too breathless to even force the taunts forming in her mind past her lips.

She tried to blow the chocolate curls that had come loose from their bun out of her face, but could only gasp as the irritated Jonathan kicked her again, sending her into the shins of the giant who had not moved after releasing her. It was then, as Jonathan was backing up and she was trying to gather what strength she could and stop it from pulling away from her like a receding wave, that she caught a sight to give her a last burst of strength. Where once stood three monsters behind Jonathan now stood her two best friends and three piles of yellow dust.

LB leaned on her spear and put a finger to her lips, warning Pearl to silence, not that she could have or would have called out anyway. Neal, beside LB, had an arrow notched and was taking aim on the giant still standing over her.

In the same instant, Pearl was coated in monster dust and she ripped her whip from around her waist, putting all of her strength into one last crack. The whip wrapped around Jonathan's legs, pulling them out from under him and sending him to the ground where the back of his head slammed onto a conveniently located rock. That was her last moment of consciousness.

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><p>LB ran to her friend, dropping her spear. She fell to her knees by Pearl's head and cradled it in her lap, "come on, girlie," she whispered, gently stroking Pearl's hair away from her pale, clammy face.<p>

"Neal!" She yelled at the boy, not turning from Pearl, "he's out cold right now, don't mind him. Grab my bag and get over her and do your son of Apollo mojo!"

Neal didn't move, he was standing over Jonathan, a murderous look on his face, his bow with an arrow readied pointed at the unconscious boys heart, an organ Neal wasn't convinced Jonathan possessed.

"Neal! He's not worth it, Pearl is _dying_!" That snapped the tanned, golden haired boy into action. He dropped his bow and arrow and ran to grab LB's bag from just inside the trees. Before a minute had passed he was kneeling at Pearl's side.

"Can't you tether her soul to her body?"

"Trying, but she's so close. Work quickly." LB pulled a canteen of nectar from her bag as Neal went to work doing what he could to heal Pearl.

"Ok," Neal said sitting back from Pearl, wiping sweat from his brow to the back of his arm, "you can give her a tiny sip and bite more Nectar and Ambrosia. Then she'll be ok to move. She's still not going to wake up for awhile, though."

LB nodded as she followed Neal's instructions, it had seemed to her the boy had spent an eternity working on their friend. "I know she won't be happy with us when she does wake up, but I think it's time to meet up with the others. No more of this skulking about." LB watched Neal's exhausted face as she spoke, gauging his reaction to her suggestion.

Carefully, Neal picked up the tiny girl, even at 15 she wasn't 5ft if she stood on her tip toes, which made carrying her easy. "You're right," he agreed after considering LB's idea. "We'll deal with it when she wakes up. In the mean time, safety in numbers." He turned back to where they'd left Jonathan laying on the ground, just in time to see his still unconscious form melt into the shadows, "damnit!" Even though he knew it was futile, he hurried to the boy as if there were some way he could halt his disappearance.

LB laid a calming hand on Neal's forearm saying, "save Pearl or kill him while he's unconscious? We _will_ get him."

Neal grumbled but said nothing out loud as he clutched Pearl to his chest, one arm around her shoulders, her head resting between his shoulder and chin, his other arm under her knees. "Which way, L?"

It seemed to Neal they'd walked all night, but he knew it was closer to an hour, when they finally arrived just outside the tiny camp they were seeking. He knew that Charlie, Nessa, and Grant would be standing with weapons readied, having heard their approach, expecting anything and anyone else.

"Only Fools Are Positive!" LB called to her cousin, knowing that with those four words, which spoken to anyone else would earn her only a strange look in this context, would assure her and her companions a much warmer welcome than otherwise.

"LB?" She and Neal only had a moments wait for Charlie's strained sounding response, "Pearl isn't with you, is-Oh gods." He cut himself off when the pair stepped into the small clearing and he caught sight of his sister in Neal's arms. "What happened?" He tightly gripped his sword as though he wanted to use it on Neal.

"Whatever it was," Nessa stepped forward, laying a hand on Charlie's shoulder, "I'm sure Neal isn't to blame."

Grant carefully took the still unconscious Pearl from Neal, "we've got the sleeping bags all set up in the tent already, I'll go lay her down." He glared at his friend as though silently instructing him to be nice.

"Come on," LB urged everyone quietly, "sit."

"I told you," Nessa leaned into her boyfriend playfully, a small smile on her face, "told you there was a reason they didn't put up a fight about us going without them."

"Yea, yea, yea," Charlie replied absentmindedly, still glaring at Neal. "Now, what happened?"

"We-"

"Jonathan happened," LB cut Neal off.

"You let Jonathan get her!" Charlie was on his feet again, grabbing the younger boy by the collar before either girl could react.

"I didn't _let_ Jonathan anything!" Neal wrenched himself out of Charlie's grasp, shooting a glare at LB that clearly told her to stay out of this, "I care about your sister, too, and you know that." He shoved Charlie back from him. "We got separated. Yes, Jonathan and a couple of his monsters got Pearl, but you know her, she put up a fight. We managed to find them, kill the monsters and get Pearl."

"Jonathan got away. Also, I think Pearl would be kinda pissed if she wakes up to find either of her two favorite guys dead," LB said quietly, breaking the glaring match that had gone on between the two boys during Neal's recitation.

"She'd probably kill the survivor," Nessa added.

"Fine," Charlie muttered quietly, running a hand absently through his black hair, as he returned to his seat beside Nessa.

Grant stepped out of the tent where he'd laid Pearl, taking in the tension surrounding the group sitting outside, "Oookkk…" he dragged out the word, looking to Nessa for some sort of explanation, she gave a small shake of her head, "Well," Grant continued, "Pearl seems to be sleeping soundly, think she'll be up to moving tomorrow morning?"

"She should be." A touch of the tension of the last few moments still colored Neal's voice as he answered.

"Great, then you three can head back tomorrow," Charlie said without shifting his eyes from the small fire.

"Stupid doesn't suite you, Charlie," LB muttered darkly, rising to her feet. Her patience ran deep, but when it did run out she had an attitude, temper and mouth to rival some of the most notorious. At this moment in time, she was well beyond her wits end, this evenings events had simply been the last thing to overload her. LB stalked past her dumbfounded cousin and a smirking Ness toward the tent in which Pearl was laying. "Here," she tossed her bag at a grinning Neal, he wasn't even bothering to hide his amusement at LB's telling off of Charlie, "set up our bed rolls while I sit with Pearl for a bit."

"Here you are, milady," Grant held open the tent flap for the ill-tempered girl, bowing as she swept past him, a small grin spreading his lips as well.

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><p>"You sound like your mom when you sing," Charlie said quietly, he stood just inside the dimly lit tent, about half an hour had passed since LB had retreated within.<p>

The girl didn't turn around, but continued stroking her unconscious cousin's hand, "remember when she used to sing us that song?" Pearl referred to the song she'd been singing when Charlie walked in, "when Daddy and your parents and the others were away?"

"I remember. I also remember her making me swear to protect you two," he replied to the girl who was really more of a second baby sister to him than anything else.

"You can't protect people who don't want your protection, and you can't lock us up to try to keep us safe. If you try to take away our ability to fight, or help, or protect ourselves, you're just going to make us vulnerable."

"I know,"

"You're just going to- wait, you know?"

"I know, Bianca," Charlie's voice was firm but kind, not harsh, as he spoke her rarely used given name, "I know you're right. I know you guys aren't going back. I'm not even sure you could at this point anyway. I even know that Neal cares about you both and would do anything to protect you two."

"You still don't like him, though," a small smile played across LB's lips as she finally turned to Charlie.

"Neal is a good guy, for a son of Apollo," Charlie said with a shrug, and a tone of voice that ended that line of conversation.

"At least that's a concession." LB said as she turned back to Pearl.

"Go get some sleep, LB, I'll sit with her, you look dead on your feet."

"I think I would know if that were the case," LB replied, but she pressed her lips to Pearl's cheek and rose to her feet with no other resistance, "just don't yell at her if she wakes up." She stretched to her tip toes to hug Charlie and give him peek to match his sisters before exiting the tent, "Goodnight Ness. Grant." She said with a small smile as she walked past the two to the second tent Neal had set up.

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><p>AN There you be. Questions, comments, opinions, anything you feel so moved as to share with me. I love discussing stories, be they mine or others (I'm a total book club girl), so heck, review, PM anything you feel compelled.

Thank you for your time and interest. I hope you enjoyed!  
>Miette<p> 


	2. The Next Morning

A/N Hello! Welcome to chapter two! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it! Please feel free to let me know anything that comes to mind! There are some references here that tie into my VESTA fic (including somethings that haven't happened yet in Vesta, but to anyone reading that, no major spoilers(this idea has just been bouncing around in my head and refused to wait till VESTA was completed)). Point is, if you aren't reading that and are confused, just let me know! I tried to do a quick explanation... :-/ hopefully it will prevent any confusion. Ok, I'm rambling and I have a glass or wine then bed calling my name so I'll stop wasting my time and yours! To the fic!

Miette

**Disclaimer** PJO, HOO, and all plots and characters therein are the intellectual property of Rick Riordan and are borrowed with all due respect**

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><p>Annabeth stretched languidly as the remnants of sleep left her. She rolled over in her boyfriend's bed, disappointed to find herself alone. Vaguely, Annabeth remembered Percy waking up earlier, kissing her cheek and leaving the room, most likely to go to the couch in the living room where his mom and stepdad thought he was spending the entire night. Annabeth was pretty sure they knew exactly what actually happened when she stayed over for the weekend, but as long as they heard no strange sounds and Annabeth didn't begin to inexplicably put on weight, they were willing to stick with a 'don't ask don't tell policy'.<p>

Sitting up, she looked around Percy's familiar room. The bed across the room, Nico's, was empty. The son of Hades had begun staying at the Blofis home for most of the school year in order to attend school and receive a traditional education to compliment his Camp Half-Blood education after things in the demi-god world began to settle down and he grew out of his lone wolf faze. He, however, was not the person who had spent the night in his bed. Last night's occupant of Nico's bed was his friend, Bia. She was a Roman daughter of Vesta, one of two known, who along with several very young Roman demi-gods had come to stay at Camp Half-Blood instead of the Roman Scholla. After the war with Gaia had ended about a year ago there was a great deal of exchange of demi-gods and information between the two demi-god strongholds. So far the relationship was going well.

A tiny twinge of guilt arose in Annabeth's stomach at thought that she and Percy should be setting a better example for the 15 yearold 'non'-couple, but at 18 and after everything she and Percy had been through, if nothing else, she deserved to fall asleep in the comfort of the arms of the guy she loved, as often as possible. With that thought in mind, Annabeth slid her feet into her slippers as protection against the winter cold wood floors of the home, and exited the bedroom.

"Annabeth!" Two small forms catapulted themselves at the blonde as soon as she entered the kitchen.

"Hey girls," Annabeth leaned down to hug the two girls, three and four years old respectively, who had so enthusiastically greeted her in defiance of the early hour.

"Klary! Merga!" Sally Blofis admonished with a smile, "take it down a few, if you please. The menfolk are all still asleep."

Both girls smiled sheepishly, returning to their coloring on the kitchen table. The three year old, Klarissa, was the blue eyed, brown haired daughter of Sally and Paul, who was already showing signs of having inherited her mother's clear sight along with her blue eyes. The four year old Merga was a black haired, green eyed daughter of Neptune.

Merga's mother had been a cruise director sailing out of California. The young woman died before Merga was a year old, leaving her to live most of her short life unclaimed at the Schola. Once Percy appeared at the Schola, and what with the Prophecy being fulfilled and the Titan War being over, Neptune decided it a safe time to claim the girl. Merga was among the nati who came to stay at Camp Half-Blood after the war with Gaia, after Chiron and, his Roman equivalent, Lupa decided it was a better environment for the youngest demi-gods.

When both Bia and Percy decided to return to the mortal world for the school year, neither wanted to leave the girl at camp. After much careful consideration, AKA Percy just assumed his mother and stepfather would agree, Percy asked Sally and Paul to adopt the girl, which they'd done without hesitation.

"'_Men'_ includes Nico and Percy?" Bia asked incredulously, glancing up from the bowl of waffle batter she was whisking to smile at Sally and Annabeth.

"Well, I use that term loosely," Sally said after considering.

"It's," Percy yawned, "too early for you girls," he rubbed the sleepy from his eyes, trying to contain another yawn, "to be making fun of us."

"I concur!" Nico agreed in a sleepy voice, walking over to Bia, trying to steal a finger full of the waffle batter in her hands.

"Stop that!" she smacked his hand away with her whisk.

"I don't know, for that SAT word so early in the morning, I think he may deserve at least a little taste," Annabeth laughed, before accepting a kiss from Percy.

Bia sighed, but allowed the son of Hades to scoop up some batter with a finger tip, "that's all, though!"

With a smirk Nico reached for another bite of the waffle batter, however, he ended up on the floor for his trouble instead.

Bia calmly walked to the other side of the kitchen as though she hadn't just swept Nico's feet out from under him with one of her own, "_one taste_, Nico!"

The pair stood, glaring at each other across the kitchen. As the silence stretched, it seemed that one of the pair's infamous clashes was imminent.

"Can I has a taste?" Klary looked from her mother to Bia to Nico, her purple crayon laying forgotten.

"Me, too!" Merga jumped to her knees so she could sit up higher.

The young girls were completely unaware of the trivial fight they'd prevented as the tension ebbed from the air and their request was fulfilled.

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><p>"Uh-oh…" Pearl sat up, murmuring quietly; sleepily taking in her surroundings, including her older brother slumped over in sleep beside her.<p>

A soft giggle from the other side of the tent drew Pearl's eyes toward Ness, Vanessa Moyers, "he's mostly resigned to the fact that you guys are here." Ness's words were as soft as her initial giggle, not wanting to wake either of the still sleeping boys occupying the tent with the two girls.

"Jonathan?"

Ness shook her head, "Neal and LB said he got away, sorry, honey."

"Neal and Charlie?"

"Got into it a little bit, but both still have all of their limbs, no blood drawn."

It was Pearl's turn to shake her head. She couldn't understand why her brother and best friend got along so poorly.

"Come on, time to get up," Nessa stood, stretching her body which was not thrilled with another night of sleeping on the ground. "I have high hopes for breakfast what with LB being here."

"I'm sure she won't disappoint you. Then again, just about anything is probably better than what you three have had going on."

"True. How, how could you possibly allow me to be stuck on a quest with just Grant and Charlie? Don't you care for me at all?" Nessa asked as she followed Pearl out of the tent.

"It wasn't our choice, trust me." LB said looking up from the pot she was stirring over the fire, "besides! You left us with all of the crazies," LB mock shuddered thinking of those they left behind in order to follow Charlie, Nessa and Grant.

"I'm half expecting them to show up. If not Danny and the twins, then Freddy and," Neal paused considering as he walked from the tent he'd just exited to the girls now sitting around the small campfire, "well, honestly, if any of the others show up I wouldn't exactly be shocked."

LB began to dish out the oatmeal she'd been making, "it won't be the flowers and/or Danny. They wouldn't go without each other and they know that at least a few of us needed to stay behind to manage things back home."

"Maybe Rod and-"

"Nah," Nessa cut off Pearl after blowing on her oatmeal to cool it, "unless something major happens, I don't see any of the others sneaking after you guys and us. They may want to, but they'll follow orders. It would be more dangerous than helpful. I'm glad you guys came though, I knew you would."

"Not that my brother would believe you, though," Pearl said with a small laugh.

"No, of course not," Nessa took a bite of her oatmeal, "oh gods, one of us better wake Charlie and Grant up before I eat their share in addition to mine."

"I'll do it!" LB quickly responded rising to her feet before anyone else could speak. She didn't notice the strange looks being passed around her as she ducked into the occupied tent.

"Am I missing something?" Nessa asked Neal and Pearl, who were smirking and giggling respectively into their bowls.

Before the pair could respond, LB was back with a sleepy Charlie and Grant in tow, quietly laughing about something Grant had said.

Nessa glanced from the pair to LB's friends, her lips forming a silent 'Oh!' to which Neal and Pearl simply smiled and shrugged.

"So," Pearl began once her brother and Grant were settled with their own breakfasts and LB had finally taken her own seat, "what's the working plan?"

"You mean after we get you three home safe and sound?" Charlie looked around at the five glares he was receiving, "Ok, gods, I had to give it one last try. Anyway, we think we've located each of the…" Charlie searched for an appropriate term, "people in question."

"But at this time of year, they're not all at camp." Grant put in through a mouth full of oatmeal.

"Of course not," Pearl shot her brother's best friend a disgusted look before raising an eyebrow at LB, "that would make our lives a little simpler. We can't possibly have that."

"So, what, though?" Neal looked at Charlie, "your plan is to just keep an eye on them, and _hope_ they stay ok? That would be what we call a plan _not_ worthy of Athena."

"Yea?" Charlie started to stand angrily before Nessa reflexively pulled him back to his seat without even looking at him. "Do you have a better idea, Neal?" Charlie spit at the younger boy.

Tapping a beat on the side of his empty bowl, Neal gave the sarcastic question serious consideration. "What…what if we do something to cause your pa-I mean," here he glanced quickly at LB, Pearl, then back at Charlie, "the people in question, to go to camp early? Then we know that everyone we're concerned with is about as safe as is possible. All in one place, and we can go on the offensive. We can go after Jonathan and his crew instead of waiting for them to make their next move. I'm tired of being on the defensive with that…"

"Mean, awful person," LB cut Neal off with a meaningful look.

"None of the natie are around, L."

Her only response was to wave her hand dismissively.

Charlie for his part, after his initial reaction to dismiss any suggestion of Neal's, gave the son of Apollo's suggestion serious consideration. "That's not a bad idea." Charlie stated begrudgingly, "Whatever we do, though, we need to avoid contact with them."

Everyone nodded in agreement as they rose to begin packing up the camp. In the midst of the activity, Grant slid up beside LB, "why do I have a feeling that this 'no contact' thing isn't going to go as planned?"

"Because it won't. What is it that Rod's mom is always saying?"

"'_No battle plan survives contact with the enemy'_," Grant quoted having heard the line many times.

"Besides," LB, added as an afterthought, "look at the people involved. Do things ever go as planned when they're involved?"

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><p>AN - There you be! Chapter two! Next, I REALLY need to finish editing my next chap for Vesta because that has been a lifetime and a half coming. Bia and any references that make you scratch your head are tied into my VESTA story, so if your confused and don't feel like reading that, ask away. Questions, comments, opinions, gratuitous compliments, and constructive criticism and insights are more welcome then you could know!

Thanks!  
>Miette<p> 


	3. The sun sets as emotions rise

A/N Soo...it appears that I'm almost completely writing this story for myself as no one seems to be reading it...I'm mostly ok with this because I like it and I think writing needs to be first and foremost for yourself, but do let me know if you're reading this, enjoying it, dislike it, confused, whatever! I would like other people to enjoy reading this as much I as am enjoying writing it! I also greatly value your opinions and constructive criticism!

Miette

**Disclaimer** PJO Characters, ect are borrowed with all due respect from Rick Riordan**

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><p>An exasperated sigh escaped Nessa's lips. It was now around one in the afternoon and the six teens had been walking since they'd finished breaking down their camp around nine o'clock that morning. It was not the long walking that exasperated the able-bodied demigod. Nor was it the scenic woods somewhere between Montauk and Manhattan through which they were walking that had Nessa sighing. She rather enjoyed the woods, actually. She found them reminiscent to those she knew as a young girl living on a vineyard in the Finger Lakes region farther north in Upstate New York. The chill in the early October air also was not what was souring the girl's mood. No, she enjoyed the fall, it meant harvest time, her birthday and tourist to see the leaves change. With the woods, the weather, and her boyfriend beside her holding her hand, Nessa could even just about forget the danger and drama they were all currently living through along with their mission. She thought she ought to be in a rather good mood all things being considered, yet she wasn't.<p>

Nessa's bad mood was caused by the aforementioned boyfriend walking beside her and _his_ foul mood.

With another frustrated sigh, Nessa tugged Charlie's hand, causing them to fall a few steps farther behind their companions, "why don't you just _talk_ to them?" she whispered irritated.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Charlie muttered, pulling his eyes away from his younger sister, asleep, ridding piggy back on her best friend, Neal. In front of them, LB and Grant were talking animatedly about something or other, not even noticing that Nessa and Charlie were falling behind.

"Bull," Nessa calmly responded, "you're bothered, I can tell. My guess? It's one of three things, though I know which one I'd put my money on." She dropped Charlie's hand and began ticking off ideas, "One, you're still upset that they're here. That's not it though. You're not pleased because you want the girls safe back home, but you know that in reality, that's not really any safer, besides you missed them and you know that they'll be a help. Two, you're bugged that your baby cousin and best friend are flirting like their lives depend on it, but I don't think you've actually noticed that yet. Evidently LB's had a crush on Grant for ages, jsyk. I just learned that bit of gossip this morning."

Ness turned toward LB and Grant, now several yards ahead, tilting her head to inspect them, as she began slowly walking again, "they could be cute, I'm not sure yet. Anyway, that's not it. Lastly, but not leastly," Nessa stated, intentionally adding the unnecessary –ly to bug Charlie, "you're in a mood because you can't stand Neal and Pearl's friendship," her tone of voice on the last word put mental quotes around it.

"I don't know what you mean," Charlie wouldn't look at the girl walking beside him as he spoke.

Nessa laughed, "Neal has been friends with Pearl and LB since they were, what? 6? 7? Something like that? You never had an issue with him till around when they turned 14ish. I think it is because consciously or subconsciously you already know what they don't even know yet."

"Oh?" Charlie stopped walking again and turned to his currently very infuriating girlfriend, "and what would that be?"

"That would be, my dear sofó, that Lady Aphrodite has irrevocably and inextricably bound their lives together," with her hands on Charlie's shoulders, Nessa pushed herself up onto her toes and lightly pressed her lips to his, "just as she has ours." With that, Ness turned and hurried to catch up to their friends.

Shaking his head, Charlie followed after Nessa, muttering about her spending too much time recently with their friend Aggi.

* * *

><p>"Hey," breathlessly, Bia fell onto the ground beside Annabeth.<p>

"Hmm?" Annabeth didn't move as she acknowledged the younger girl. The blonde was laying on her stomach, propped on her elbows, her eyes trained on the book below her.

Bia grabbed a bottle of water from the bag of snacks and drinks the girls, and Percy and Nico, had brought with them to the park, along with the quilt they were sitting on and the football the boys were currently tossing back and forth. "Everything alright? You seemed fine when we all got up, but you've been getting quieter and more and more like you're thinking about something intense all day."

"It's nothing, mother hen," Annabeth still didn't turn toward Bia.

Bia, for her part, took a gulp of her water as she silently regarded Annabeth, "you had that dream again?" She asked after swallowing.

"It's different each time, but yea," Annabeth rolled to her side, facing Bia, "pretty much the same dream."

"If it's stressing you, you should talk to the boyf about it. I mean, you're welcome to tell me about this new one, like the last few, but…"

"I know, I know, you 'feel asthough' I should talk to Percy about it, because 'he _is_ the one' I 'keep saving the world and crap with'." Annabeth said mimicking what Bia had been saying to her more and more frequently as Annabeth's perplexing dream has become increasingly frequent. "How about, I tell Perc when you tell Nico the truth about why you won't actually go out with him."

"That is completely different!" Bia reached beyond the quilt and grabbed a handful of recently fallen leaves to throw at Annabeth.

"I'm just saying! You're not exactly the poster child for full disclosure."

"And _I'm_ just saying that would be a wonderful conversation that I don't feel like getting into! Besides, things are fine as they are. We make good friends." Bia shrugged, her tone of voice ending that line of conversation.

* * *

><p>Pearl glanced around with unease at the lengthening shadows among the trees surrounding her and her friends as they walked. "Maybe it's time to settle down for the night?" she asked, pulling her sweater tighter around her body.<p>

Charlie looked up at the small bits of sky visible between the green canopy, then at his watch to confirm the time, "It's about 6. It will be full dark by about 6:30 give or take. It's up to you guys. At this rate, we'll make it to the city the morning the day after tomorrow…"

LB and Neal both glanced at Pearl, knowing her 'dislike' of the dark that had grown over the last few years. She refused to acknowledge it as a fear. Everyone also knew, however that the sooner they made it to their destination, the better. There was about 24 hours of straight walking between their starting point and their destination, meaning they had approximately 15 left if they stopped now.

"Hey now," Pearl looked between her two friends that knew of her trepidation and her brother and two friends that did not, "we're not stopping just because of me."

LB sighed knowing her cousin's stubborn nature would mean that Pearl would insist they continue walking till midnight, even if she were petrified. "How about we walk till 7 or we can't see to walk anymore? Whichever comes first? Then we set out a bit earlier tomorrow."

"The sun should be up by about 7, tomorrow morning," Neal put in, "that gives us about 10 and a half, 11 hours of sunlight tomorrow."

"Works for me," Grant said with a shrugging, looking around to see everyone else's opinions.

With that settled Pearl turned away from her companions and continued walking. She was exhausted, her body ached. Considering she'd spent most of the trek asleep on Neal's back, oblivious to that fact and the world around them, she felt she had no right to be in discomfort or request a halt for the night. She didn't want to use her recovery from last night as an excuse, and she _really_ didn't want to explain to her brother or Nessa or Grant her somewhat recently developed fear of the dark. That would then involve getting into quite a few things she had no desire to discuss. No, subconsciously Pearl's fingers found their way to the beaded leather cord around her neck, she had no desire to tell Charlie about the events that had triggered her fear of the dark.

"Hey," Neal slung an arm around Pearl's shoulders, "watch this." He held his free hand out slightly concentrating on it till it began to glow faintly.

"Thanks," Pearl's lips curled into a small smile as she looked up at her friend.

"What's the point of having a friend who is the son of the sun god if he can't do nifty tricks like this for you?"

"I don't know, I think saving my butt last night was a pretty nifty trick," Pearl leaned more tightly against Neal.

"Yea, well, it would have been a better trick if we'd gotten the—"

"That's _not_ what I'm saying!" Nessa's loud statement interrupted the pair's hushed conversation. They turned back to see the older girl in a heated conversation with Charlie and Grant.

"What's going on?" LB asked quietly as she joined Pearl and Neal. She'd been walking a bit ahead gathering any edible plants she could find to supplement the meager rations the group possessed.

"No idea," Pearl responded to her cousin, not taking her eyes from the arguing trio.

"It's not a bad plan. It's good in theory. The trouble is that it relies on me! Not only that, it relies on me using an ability that I'm not comfortable with in a way that I've never used it before! I just don't know if I can do it." Nessa threw her hands around as she spoke.

"Umm…question?" LB waved her hand as she called out, gaining the three older teens attention.

"What the Hades are you three arguing about?" Pearl asked, her eyes going back and forth between Nessa and the two boys.

Charlie ran his fingers through his hair agitatedly, "we were trying to sort out a way to get the four of them to feel it necessary to go to camp early."

"Easy," LB shrugged, "a major attack or threat."

"Yes." Nessa said irritatedly, "But what are we going to do? Call in the Greek Myth equivalent of a bomb threat to Camp? Go find a few monsters to convincingly pretend to attack them?"

"We've got the why, it's the how that's easier said than done," as Grant spoke, his eyes shot between Nessa and Charlie.

"We have the how!" Charlie gestured toward Nessa exasperatedly, "it's a sound plan."

It seemed to Pearl, LB, and Neal that this discussion had been going on for awhile before they'd taken note.

"A sound plan? In theory, yes. It sounds to me like a plan that doesn't take into account the human or emotional element! It sounds like something right out of the play book of A-"

"Don't – say – it…" Pearl said through gritted teeth. Her hands were fisted tightly at her sides.

"Excuse me?" The excess of stress and irritation Nessa felt colored her voice and flashed in her eyes as she turned on the younger girl.

"Vanessa Moyers," Pearl took a deep breath, "just don't say it."

Ness softened at defeated look of Pearl and remembered that Pearl was not who she was angry with, "I'm sorry, honey." Nessa took a deep breath of her own before more calmly continuing the original conversation, "in theory, it's a good plan. I just don't know if I'm capable of pulling it off, I don't like that it relies on me. Also, you know that I don't like messing with that stuff. Seriously, though? I'm not sure I can plant the exact same thing, strongly enough, in four different peoples' minds. In order for them to buy it, there can be no discrepancies."

Charlie ran a hand through his hair, remembering this was his girlfriend he was arguing with, not some random demigod, "I'm sorry for pushing you, Piquant," Nessa softened a bit more at the sound of Charlie's pet name for her, "I just don't know what other option we have, and I know you're more capable than you think."

"We'll work it out," Nessa wrapped on arm around Charlie's waist, pulling him tight against her, and linked her other arm through Grants, in a silent apology to both of her friends for blowing up at their suggestion.

"Maybe I can help you." LB said quietly, once a moment had passed and everyone was calm again, "I can hit them emotionally and you can hit them mentally?"

"That could work," Pearl said considering.

"Well, umm, actually," Charlie glanced uncomfortably at his younger sister and cousin, "we were going to leave you two and Neal at wherever we end up camping near the city."

"Well, umm, actually," Neal glanced at Nessa and Grant, how refused to look at him or Charlie, "_we_," Neal gestured to himself, Nessa, and Grant, "were planning to leave _you_ and the girls behind."

Again, emotions and voices rose as the six demigods debated these two plans.

* * *

><p>AN I hope you enjoyed explanations will be forthcoming for all of the crazy that was going on as setup in this chapter! If you feel so inclined just drop me a line to let me know you're reading! If you've got time, let me know what you think and what can be improved!

Miette


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